Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

It's been days since everything changed, since Elle came back home, since she found out about the adoption process and since she's been accepted as an Arseni.

It's nice, she gets to be pampered by everyone in the house, her grandma makes sure that she doesn't lift a finger, her dad's always catering to her needs.

She feels like she's in heaven, and that this is her gift after suffering for years.

Now, she's back in school, after her eventful few days, it feels weird having a sense of normalcy again.

She walked down the hallway path to her class when someone pulled her bag, she catched herself and turned only to see her friend standing there.

He was grinning at her and raised his hand before she could even say a word, “Seriously Jake?”, she asked deadpan.

Jake just smiled at her and walked beside her, his hands in his pocket, “What the hell happened to you? I couldn't reach you for days, Jo only told me about your family problems”, he complained to her.

She rolled her eyes at him and stopped in front of her locker, but he wasn't done being dramatic, “Honestly, what kind of family do you really have? You went to Phuket just a week before, then you suddenly went MIA on me, what are you hiding from me?”, he pushed while shaking her.

Elle laughed at his antics and shoved his hands away before taking her book out.

Aside from Jo, Jake is the only friend she's ever made after she transferred, but he doesn't know anything nor did she ever tell him about her family, he just quickly assumed that she was adopted by a rich family.

Which she is to be fair.

It's not that he can't be trusted, but her papa told her that she needs to assess a person first before telling them a major thing in their life that can impact their relationship.

He also told her not to make their family public because aside from its not yet finalized, people finding out that the Arseni family has a teenager just striding around the city isn't really the best decision to make.

“Hello, earth to Jenelle?!”, Jake snapped his fingers in front of her face.

Elle slapped his fingers away and turned her back on him, “Come on now, don't sulk at me, I told you I can't say anything”, she told him before heading inside the class.

She greeted her classmates and sat down with Jake still bitching her, “Fine don't tell me, but it's not cool to ghost me dude, at least tell me when something's going on.”

Elle gave him a thumbs up and as an apology, pulled out a brand new sketchbook for him, she nudged him with it and smiled wickedly.

“What, you tryna bribe my forgiveness now? NEVER”, he dramatically said before turning his back on her.

She could hear him huffing and puffing while murmuring about betrayal and secrets and she just can't help but laugh.

God she forgot how normal her school life is before her dad ever came, not that she's complaining about him but rather scared for him to find out she has a guy friend, that man almost twisted someone's hand when they greeted her too enthusiastically.

“HELLOOO”, Jake screamed to her face.

She got so startled that she ended up slapping him hard, the whole class got quiet and laughter erupted.

Elle also couldn't stifle her laughter before apologizing, “Sorr—yy, oi! Don't hit me! I didn't mean to do it!”, the two chased each other.

The class resumed their chatter with some still laughing at them when the door opened, their teacher stepped in and saw them at the corner and just shook his head.

“Both of you sit down now and Ms. Charoensuek, please come to my office later to pick up the projects you need to do.”

“Kha sir”, she answered before returning to her seat, Jake now holding his new sketchbook and smelling each page like an addict.

“Stop that, are you a dog or something”, she scolded him.

The two fell into a silent bicker as class goes on, making Elle forget about whatever's gonna happen outside.

—————

“We need to ensure that everything will be perfect this coming Friday okay? My son deserves to have the perfect party!”, Nathalada exclaimed while talking to the coordinator.

They're currently planning Rome's birthday party that Elle specifically requested when she found out that her dad hasn't had one since birth.

She didn't have to beg since her grandparents agreed right away and even let her choose the theme, the only thing the adults needed is to plan accordingly.

“Should we do a balloon garland? I think Khun Kritdanai might like that”, the coordinator suggested.

Mok looked at the design suggestions and didn't find anything that may suit Rome's taste, so he shook his head and handed back the book.

“I'm sorry Khun, but I don't think anything there suits Rome, mom are you sure we'll throw Rome a party? Maybe we should just opt for a dinner like always?”, he suggested reluctantly, they've never thrown Rome a party before so he wasn't sure what his lover would want.

But Nat was adamant, she didn't wanna disappoint her granddaughter so she declined his suggestion.

“It's your daughter's wish to give her dad a party Mok, I don't wanna make her sad.”

Mok sighed helplessly and scratched his neck, “Fine, but should we just wait for her to come back? So she can choose what she wants, that way Rome doesn't have a choice but to accept the theme.”

Nat nodded and agreed with him, she talked to the coordinator in whispers and sent them away, “Mok, please lead them out, we'll plan the party some other time.”

He bowed and showed them the way out.

They reached the door just as Rome arrived from a meeting with his brother, Mok was caught off guard but regained his composure and quickly ushered the coordinators away before Rome could talk to them.

He then turned to his lover who's staring at them with questioning eyes and gave him a quick kiss.

“Hey love, who was that?”, Rome asked as he held Mok's waist.

Mok lied through his teeth and said that they were just interior designers called by his mother to help rearrange some rooms, to which Rome accepted.

He smiled and pulled Mok inside with him, their hands intertwined.

They ran into Nat who kissed his son's cheeks as a greeting.

“How's the meeting son?”, she asked cheerfully.

Rome clicked his tongue and scrunched his nose, showing a hint of annoyance, “They're terrible with negotiating mom, also annoying to talk to, I don't know how Phi Kian managed to keep his cool talking to them”, he answered bluntly.

Nat smiled and nodded her head, “It's nice to be able to keep your calm my son, you should also learn that for when you inherit the business for good”, she encouraged him.

Rome huffed and just hummed in response, Mok knew that he didn't like the topic so he quickly changed it to ease Rome's mood.

“Mom, will you please excuse us? I'd like to take Rome out”, he excused them and walked away after bowing.

Once they were in their room, Rome immediately embraced him from behind, his face hidden at the crook of Mok's neck.

He inhaled his lover's scent and calmed his nerves down, the tension on his body slowly easing as his hug got tighter.

“Rough meeting?”, Mok asked gently.

Rome nodded and placed a small kiss on his neck before turning him around, his waist was enveloped by Rome's hands as he pulled Mok closer, their chest touching.

“It was horrible, I wanted to punch everyone”, he murmured before clinging to Mok's body again, his hands all over the others back while he leaves small kisses on his lovers neck.

Mok smiled at the affection and sighed in contentment when his phone rang, an annoyed sound came out of Rome and he almost threw Mok's phone when he saw the caller id.

Baby booger

Calling…

The mafia raised his eyebrows and showed the screen, “Who's baby booger?”, he asked confused.

Mok chuckled softly and took the phone from his hand, the call died before he could answer so he sighed, “It's our daughter dummy”, he said before calling her back.

It only took a couple of rings before Elle's voice echoed, Mok put it on speaker and they immediately heard their kid rambling about something or someone, they can't tell with how fast she's speaking.

“And then, I almost got bitten by the dog! I didn't even come near it! I was sitting very far from it!”, were the only coherent words as she finished speaking.

Rome raised his eyebrows and spoke, “Sweetie, what were you doing and where were you?”, he asked in a serious voice.

Elle got quiet for a bit and a dramatic gasp came out of her ,”You didn't listen to me?! I feel hurt daddy, I talked for long and you didn't even listen!”, they could hear her sulking tone.

The mafia opened his mouth to argue with his daughter but Mok spoke first, “How can we understand if you were speaking too fast? You didn't even greet us, you just went to ramble”, he reasoned.

Elle went quiet and huffed, “Hmp, fine sorry, I went to a friend's house for lunch and I almost got bitten by their dog! It's a Belgian shepherd papa!!” She started getting dramatic again.

Mok sighed and pinched his nose, “You went out of school, without telling me or dad?”, he asked in a strict tone.

The line got quiet and they could hear muffled laughter in the background followed by a yelp and the sound of someone being slapped.

The two looked at each other and was gonna speak again when Elle finally did, “Sorry papa, I wasn't gonna but my friend's grandma called him and erm, I'm sick of eating cafeteria food anyway, so I went with him.”

Rome clicked his tongue and asked Elle to give the phone to her friend but she refused, she said she doesn't want her dad to scare him away or threaten him.

“I'm not gonna bite sweetheart, I just wanna give him a little daddy talk”, Rome said but Elle wasn't having it and hung up on him.

The mafia looked at his lover in shock and he almost got irritated when he saw Mok's face, he was stifling a laugh and holding back his smile.

“What..?” He asked confused.

Mok held his face and squished his cheeks, something that made Rome blush, “Your daughter is being a brat, just like you”, he said.

“Hey I'm not a brat!”, Rome protested.

Mok shook his head and sighed smiling, “Whatever you say Khun Rome.”

He walked into their bathroom laughing with Rome protesting behind him, shouting that he's not a brat.

—————

Elle sat outside Jake's house, holding a bucket that his grandma gave her, she's helping her fetch water from their backyard.

She didn't know what to do until grandma told her to carry back the bucket inside and dump it into the drum under the sink.

Though reluctant, Elle didn't have the heart to refuse as the other was too old to carry the heavy thing inside, so she helped, even though she'd never done anything like that before. It's a fun experience she might say.

Omg, am I becoming like those out of touch rich brats? Why am I thinking that it's a fun experience when this is someone's everyday life? How cruel of me to th—

“Why are you carrying that?”, Jake asked her, he'd just finished washing the dishes and drying them.

He took the bucket from her hands and dumped the water himself, “Grandma asked me for help”, Elle replied simply.

Jake raised his eyebrows and looked at her smooth hands, then back at her, “Those hands doesn't even know what labor is and you're telling me that you'll help with water?”, he teased.

Elle smacked him and followed him out the back, “I can't really resist grandma can I? Besides, it's better than letting her carry it herself”, she defended.

Her friend just shook his head and walked straight to his grandma who was still busy with tending something.

“Ma, don't make Elle carry heavy things here, if she trips and gets hurt, her parents might get angry at us”, Jake called out to his grandma.

Elle got shy about what he said and immediately dismissed it, “Don't listen to him grandma, my parents won't get angry”, she defended.

Jake raised his eyebrow and mocked her, making grandma scold him, he sighed defeated and just accepted that Elle is now the favorite grandchild.

They spent the rest of the afternoon helping out around the house, with Elle being cautious and confused about some chores.

Though she grew up in the orphanage, they had a lot of staffs that maintained the cleanliness and only made the students learn about basic chores, such as washing dishes and sweeping.

What Elle doesn't know is that it was intentional, Thee had donated a lot of money and offered to have a cleaning staff in the place, all because of her.

They saw how hard life at the orphanage was, how the old staffs would harshly scold and punish the kids when misbehaving, how Elle was once seen by Mok being pulled by the hair—

“Why are you holding the knife like that?”, Jake suddenly asked her from behind.

Elle looked down at her hand and noticed she was gripping the knife tight, and the head of it was pointed at her, she didn't even notice.

She was so occupied that she didn't even realize that she accidentally cut herself.

Jake rushed to her and took the knife away, then ran her hand under the water. He called for his grandma to bring the first aid kit but she didn't hear any of it.

She stared at the blood coming out of her palm and the sharp pain of the alcohol dulling with her mind still flying.

“You should be more careful, look at this, your precious hand got scarred”, grandma scolded her.

She just smiled and helped them clean up the blood. It wasn't a deep wound but it was quite long, and Elle knows her fathers will notice it immediately.

Speaking of…

“Your papa's calling”, Jake announced behind her, holding her phone up but the call ended before he could answer.

Another call came but this time from her dad, “Oh, now it's from your…dad?”, he asked confused.

Elle nodded and hurriedly answered Rome.

“Hi daddy”, she greeted him softly.

She heard Rome whisper to someone and walked away before speaking, “Hi sweetie, papa left, he said he'll pick you up for dinner”, he informed his daughter.

Elle nodded even though he couldn't see her and bit her lower lip, she might as well tell her dad now about what happened instead of waiting for dinner.

“Okay I'll wait for him outside and uhm dad?”, she called out.

“Hmm?”

“Don't be angry, but I got…hurt” she whispered the last word.

Rome didn't answer for a long time before speaking again, “Who hurt my daughter? Did someone attack you? Was it that dog?”, he asked frantically, worry evident in his voice.

She let out a low laugh which made Jake stare but she dismissed him, “No dad, I accidentally cut myself while helping my friend, but it's alright, his grandma already cleaned and patched it up”, she explained.

But Rome wasn't having it, he couldn't accept his daughter getting hurt, “Not acceptable young lady, why did you even get hurt, were you doing something you don't know how?”, he pressed.

Elle didn't answer immediately and darted her eyes between grandma and Jake who's avoiding her eyes, they couldn't really hear the words but they can hear Rome's loud voice.

“Daddy, I'll tell you later okay? It's nothing serious please don't be angry”, she begged softly

Her pleading voice made his irritation melt and he finally relented, “...Fine, but we'll have the doctor check it again once you're home okay?”, he answered.

Elle agreed and ended the call there, she sighed and looked at grandma, “Don't worry grandma, my dad wasn't angry”, she reassured the older.

“He definitely sounds like it”, Jake blurted out.

She hummed and stood up, “Dad's just worried, they didn't know where I was earlier and now I'm hurt, that's a normal reaction for a parent…I think”, she answered him.

Grandma nodded and left to her room, said to just call her when Elle's father is here to pick her up, the two kids agreed and went out front to wait.

“So…”, Jake started, Elle looked at him and raised an eyebrow, “You have gay parents…?”, he asked.

“Yeah, why?”, Elle answered truthfully, trying to weigh whether Jake's question was harmless.

“Nothing, you just never mentioned anything to me, so I'm shocked”, he said with a steady voice, no hint of homophobia in his tone.

Elle nodded and stared ahead of them, she doesn't like hiding things, but she also can't recklessly tell Jake about her family without discussing it with them first, so she made a solution.

“Once I'm fully adopted, I'll tell you everything that Jo already knows, but for now let's say that, my papa and daddy are not someone you can mess with…same with my uncle and grandparents”, she explained easily.

Jake looked convinced and didn't bring up anything about her family anymore, they just decided to talk about something else, shifting the focus to their school.

“Everyone's been saying that you're either a mafia now or just lied about being adopted”, Jake admitted.

Elle didn't fully look at him but she understood it clearly, no one really believed that an orphan like her could be adopted by a normal rich family, but still she snickered at those words.

“Let them talk, what good would it do if I fight them?”, she sighed helplessly.

Jake didn't answer but he did hum in acknowledgement.

They almost fell into silence again when Elle's phone buzzed.

From: Papa Mok

I'm near the house.

Just those four words and Elle immediately stood up, she planned to meet her papa a bit further from the house to avoid the neighbors gawking but Jake didn't let her leave yet.

“Let's take a picture and send it to Jo!” He excitedly pulled her close and almost headlocked her for the pose.

His arm was snaked around her neck and Elle was laughing hard while they pose for the pics, unaware of eyes that are staring.

“I'm gonna count to three, and if you don't remove your hands, then I'll have to remove them myself”, Mok's voice rang from a distance.

Elle was startled that she pushed Jake away, her heart beating fast as she knows how strict her papa is, she turned to Jake and said her goodbyes before running to Mok.

Mok on the other hand, was still staring straight at Jake, not glaring, just a cold, icy stare, like he's assessing him.

“Papa”, Elle called him.

He looked at her then down at her hand and sighed, he examined her wound and shook his head disapprovingly.

“I don't appreciate you hurting yourself sweetie”, he muttered.

“I know papa, I don't like it too but it was an accident” she assured him.

Mok nodded and once again looked at Jake who stayed rooted at his place, her papa didn't say a word and just led her to the car when Jake spoke again.

“Aren't you Khun Thee's secretary?”, Jake asked, bewildered as he was.

Elle turned back and looked at the two, her nervousness reaching its peak when Jake spoke again, “I've seen you…when you came to collect debt from my uncle”, he whispered.

That got her attention the most, she looked at her dad questioningly but Mok pushed her inside the car and locked the door.

He walked towards Jake and spoke a few words, her friend didn't look scared and more like understood something, he nodded unconsciously at Mok and finally went inside.

“Papa what did you say to him?”, Elle asked curiously.

Mok started the engine and reversed the car, “Just something sweetheart, don't worry I didn't scare him”, he answered casually.

Elle didn't push it and just leaned on the car seat, she took out her phone and messages Jo.

Jo:

Jake saw my papa today.   

She didn't have to wait for an answer as Jo was fast.

From: Jo 

I know, he just messaged me about it

Elle slowly adjusted herself and carefully placed her phone where her dad can't see the screen.

Jo:

What did he say? Papa didn't tell me.

“Sweetie”, Mok suddenly called.

She looked up shocked before smiling, “Yes papa?”

Mok was looking around, trying to see something.

“Papa's gonna buy something in the mall, do you want to stay in the car or come with me?”, he asked her.

Elle didn't think twice before answering, “Can I stay here? I'm tired papa”, she pouted.

Mok exhaled a laugh and agreed as long as she'll keep the door locked and be aware of her surroundings.

He parked in a secluded area, didn't want their car to catch too much attention, and handed his kid a small pocket knife, Elle stared at him in confusion.

“It's for safety muffin, I don't want anything to happen to my little girl okay?”, he told her.

Elle nodded and took it from him, tucking it inside her pocket and gave him a thumbs up.

“I'll be safe papa”, she assured.

Mok smiled and pinched her cheek before heading out, leaving her alone.

She took the chance to call Jake.

Buttercup (Jake)

Call

He answered after a couple of rings and immediately spoke.

“Your papa told me not to tell you anything”, he said.

Elle sighed, of course papa would do that.

“I just wanna ask what kind of debt you were talking about”, she said to him.

Jake went quiet for a while then she heard a door slam and a quiet shuffle.

“It's what you think it is, he borrowed money from the Arseni group and couldn't pay in time so…they took him away” he explained rapidly, his words getting tangled up.

“Took him where?”, she asked.

“I don't know…I asked that to your papa but he just said that my uncle is currently paying for what he owes and he'll return once it's done” Jake said.

Elle was quiet for a while and just accepted his answer, after all, she can't really question her papa if he doesn't want her to know.

She ended the call there and replied to Jo.

Jo:

I already called Jake, he said my family took away his uncle to pay for his debts.

From: Jo

And?? Nothing more?

Jo: 

No, papa won't tell me anything.

From: Jo

Okay but Elle, if your parents don't wanna tell you anything then don't force them to, otherwise Jake might get in trouble.

She only replied with a heart and turned off her phone, she looked out the window and thought to herself.

There's no harm in believing that her family didn't do anything bad, a debt is a debt, no matter what, it needs to be paid.

Just like what her biological grandpa had told her before, “Whoever was the reason should pay for it, no matter how severe the consequences might be”. 

Chills ran down Elle's spine as she remembered her grandpa's voice, his cold, venomous voice as he strangled her while saying those words.

The memory suddenly hitting her again, her breath stuttering and the air turning hotter the more she remembered.

No no no, it's been so long, don't do this to me right now.

Just as she's about to have a panic attack, the car door opened and her papa sat down beside her, immediately looking worried seeing her pale face.

“Sweetie, what happened?”, he asked worriedly.

Paper bags falling beside her as he touched her face, his hand warm and comforting 

Elle slowly started feeling okay again and closed her eyes.

“Papa”, she whispered.

“Hmm?”, Mok asked her, still worried.

“I wanna go home now please”, she told him.

Even though Mok was still hesitant, he still started the car and drove home, constantly checking on his kid.

—————

“I told you I don't want anything for my birthday”, Rome irritatedly told his mother.

Nathalada keeps asking him for plans, suggesting a family dinner or getaway but Rome, so accustomed to not celebrating, doesn't want any of that.

He just wants to stay home with his family.

“I know son, but wouldn't it be better to have some change?”, Nat tried persuading him.

The mafia huffed annoyed and stood up, “Mom I already said that I don—”.

“Daddy!”, Elle's voice rang from the door.

She ran to her dad who turned away to calm himself down.

Elle stopped in front of him and looked at him wide eyed, seemingly wondering why he looked annoyed.

“Daddy, why do you look like that?”, she asked her dad.

Rome took a deep breath and faced her calmly, a smile now evident on his face.

“Nothing sweetheart, grandma and I are just talking about something okay? Why don't you go to your room, uncle Kian is there with the doctor to look at your cut then get ready for dinner yeah?”, he tried convincing her.

But Elle looked at the two of them and seemed to realize something, “Did grandma tell you about the party?”, she cautiously asked.

“Do you not like my idea dad?”, her tone was sad and rejected like a kicked puppy.

Rome stared at her for a bit then at Mok who just came in to see the commotion, he raised both eyebrows in question as to why Rome looks like that.

“What party sweetie?”, Rome finally asked his daughter.

Nat then cut in, pulling her away, “No dear, grandma didn't mention anything like that, why would you think that haha”, the older tried to diffuse the situation, signalling to Elle that Rome doesn't know about her plan.

The kid seemed to understand and tried taking back her words, she frantically spoke, her words getting tangled up on each other.

“Nothing dad—party what party, yeah it's nothing—I need to go to unc—bye!”, she ran straight to her room, leaving a confused Rome and stressed out Nat and Mok.

Mok sighed in disbelief and pinched the bridge of his nose, he doesn't know how they'll pull it off now that his daughter slipped up.

“Mok what party is Elle talking about?”, Rome turned to his lover who looked like he'd rather eat shit than answer that.

“Nothing, she just keeps babbling about it, don't think about it okay? Come on let's get ready”, he pulled him away.

Nat waved them off and immediately went to Peach to tell him about what happened.

—————

Elle sat on her bed while the doctor cleaned and patched up her cut again, he said that while what Jake's grandma did was okay, it was better that she had it rechecked.

She just nodded and ignored the sting that the medicine gave her, she didn't listen when he started talking about how to properly care for it because honestly? She's had worse cuts before and didn't receive proper treatment but still lived, so yeah she doesn't think it a big deal.

“That'll be everything Khun Theerakit, if anything else occurs then please don't hesitate to call me back”, the doctor said before leaving.

Thee nodded and accompanied him to the door, telling Elle to start getting ready as they're gonna leave in an hour.

She just hummed and locked her door before jumping on her bed, she didn't have any desire to get ready nor face her dad after she just almost outed her plan.

How stupid and careless.

She groaned and kicked off her shoes quite roughly.

A knock brought her back to her senses and even if she didn't want to, she still stood to open her door and there stood her favorite uncle (nobody tell Thee).

“Uncle Peach!”, she shouted before jumping to his arms.

It's quite the overreaction really, they only saw each other like 2 days before and yet she's acting like they've been separated for years.

“Wow, munchkin you miss me already?”, he teased before ruffling her hair.

She nodded and pulled him inside, giggling when they both tripped to their feet.

“Uncle, I almost told dad about the party! What if he already figured it out? Will he get angry?”, she told him.

Peach sat comfortably on her bed before answering her, he'd already talked to Nathalada so he expected these questions.

“Calm down munchkin, I doubt he'll get angry okay? It's just a party, if anything your dad will definitely be super happy since you've thought of his feelings”, he assured.

“Really?”

“Of course”, he caressed her hair, “Why wouldn't he? His daughter had gone out of her way to plan the perfect party, I bet he'll be over the moon.”

She smiled at that, pride surging through her as she can already see how it would turn out, a giggle coming out of her.

“Do you think papa will agree with the outfit I have planned?”, she asked giggling.

Peach felt suspicious with how she's grinning, knowing she definitely has some extravagant outfits planned.

“Hmm depends, tell uncle what is it first”, he nudged her.

She grinned again and showed him the inspo pics, her eyes shimmering with mischief and excitement.

—————

Saturday

Everyone was busy with their own tasks the moment the clocked ticked 10 am.

The mansion was bustling with life and energy as everyone moved, no one was spared from the chore.

Nathalada was in the middle, seeing everything and everyone, making sure all is to her granddaughter's plan.

Her husband isn't home, but he was the one who hatched a plan to get Rome out of the house for the whole day.

Thee handled the arrangements of the designs, making some helpers redo a single line of flowers.

Mok was still in the office, insisting to finish the remainder of his work so he could take a nice break with his husband after the party, with him occasionally checking on his daughter and Peach in the kitchen.

Elle and Peach are doing okay…if only they didn't attempt to bake beyond their abilities.

Now the two of them are staring at evidence of their mess, flours all over the counter top and floor, egg cracked, vanilla extract bottle shattered after it slipped from Elle's hand.

The kid looked up at her uncle with glistening eyes, tears forming.

“Uncle what do we do?! The party is in 4 hours and we don't have any cake yet! There's also no other desserts! What's the point of a party with no sweets, desserts!”, Elle exaggerated, her arms flailing as she threw a tantrum.

Frustration eating her as this is not what she planned, she already has everything thought of so anything going wrong makes her infuriated.

She picked up the broken glass and angrily threw it into the trash, a single tear now falling from her eyes.

“It's ruined, daddy's party is ruined…I ruined it”, she sobbed as she tried to scrub the flour off.

Peach held her and stopped her movements, his eyes understanding and soft, he tapped her nose twice gently and spoke,

“Don't overthink anything, this is just the beginning, we can try again okay? We have plenty of ingredients and time, let's calm down first okay munchkin?”, he comforted her.

Elle's tears kept falling and she bowed her head, “What if grandma sees the mess and gets angry at me? What if papa sees that I can't do a simple task? What if daddy hates everything I did—”.

“No”, Mok suddenly cut her off firmly, the two turned to see him standing by the door, wearing a simple turtleneck and slacks, he walked towards his daughter and kneeled so he's level with her, he wiped her tears and softened his tone.

“Booger, how many times have we assured you that we'll never be angry at you, that nothing you do will make us hate you? This—”, he pointed at the mess, “—this is a small thing, it's only your first time baking something like this so it's understandable that you'll make mistakes, that doesn't mean you ruined something”, he hugged her, something that he barely does unless necessary.

“Sweetie, I don't know what they told you or who put those insecurities in your mind, but listen to papa okay? You're doing great, you don't have to be perfect cause you're human, it's okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from it, calm your mind and stop crying or else the party won't be happy anymore.”

“Why?”, Elle asked in a small voice.

“Because, the heart of it is sad, and that heart is you, you're the one who planned it, you're the one who asked for it and made it happen didn't you? But how would we be able to celebrate if our source of happiness is sad?”, he cooed.

Elle smiled at his words, and let go of the hug, she wiped her tears and looked at her uncle who's holding her head.

“Munchkin, uncle will take care of her first, go clean up and once you're back, we'll handle this together”, he urged her.

She nodded and kissed her papa before walking to her room, still sniffling from her earlier cries.

Mok stood and sighed, his heart aching with what he witnessed, he wiped his pants and looked at Peach who started wiping the counter top.

“Please help us look after our daughter—”, he started, his eyes down, “—after what happened last time, after her escape, the visit from the social worker, she's become more emotional and fragile, like she's scared that every little thing will make us hate her.”

Peach didn't stop wiping but he slowed, allowing Mok to continue, “Rome and I already talked and we both agreed to show our daughter all the love we can, while also fighting the court for our guardianship.”

“Does Elle know that you've already been summoned by a judge?”, Peach asked him.

Mok shook his head, “We don't wanna tell her yet, it's not yet serious, just procedures and all the same questions with different tones, we'll tell her once the fight gets worse.”

“Worse? How come there's a fight, I thought you only need approvals and proof that you're capable, who are you fighting?”, Peach asked, now insistent.

Mok froze, realizing that he told too much, he swallowed and sighed, rubbing his temples in return.

“Nothing…I can't tell you yet okay? Please don't tell anyone yet, not even Khun Thee, this needs to be between me and Rome right now”, he pleaded.

Peach contemplated for a bit, he wants to tell Thee so they can help, he wants to tell Elle so she can prepare, but remembering how happy she was whenever she talked about being finally adopted, about how she kept saying that she'll be the first granddaughter, he knew he can't shatter anything just because of a fight.

So he made the choice that he believes is for the best.

“Okay, I won't tell my niece but it's only a matter of time Khun Mok, she needs to know soon”, he encouraged.

Mok nodded, “I know, Rome and I are finding the right time but right now, please watch over her, don't let her go anywhere alone whenever we're not home or have strangers circling her.”

“Of course, I'll protect her.”

“Thank you Peach, now I'm just gonna go see her”, Mok walked out, heading to his daughter who doesn't have a clue about the war her parents are fighting.

—————

Elle was sitting on the floor when Mok found her, she was wrapping the gift she bought for Rome and beside her was the letter she prepared.

“Hey sweetie, are you okay now?”, he asked as he sat beside her.

She nodded and continued wrapping the gift, holding the cutter wrong and it accidentally slipped, cutting her finger.

Blood oozed out but she didn't show any pain, she just started rubbing it in her shirt while Mok rushed to get her emergency kit.

“Hey hey, don't rub it, let papa clean it”, he took her hand and held up her finger.

He started wiping the blood and cleaned her cut, he then put on a band aid and took the cutter.

“Papa will continue this okay?”, he said before finishing it.

Elle stared at him and suddenly spoke, “Papa, you won't let anyone take me away right?”, she asked in a whisper.

Mok looked at her and smiled, he touched her cheeks and lightly squished it, “Muffin, I've been your papa the moment you handed me that daisy, I'll be damned if anyone tries to take you away, so don't think of anything negative anymore, do you understand?”

Elle nodded and smiled back she shyly hugged him and put her chin on his shoulder, “I'm really lucky for you, for dad and this family, I love you the most papa.”

“I love you too my baby booger, now let's finish this and you can go back to baking”, he whispered.

She pulled away and started telling her papa what to do and how to wrap properly, the two of them arguing over design and ways to tape it.

At one point, Elle picked up a heart sticker and tapped it on Mok's cheek, making him glare at her, she laughed and shouted when he started tickling her.

Her room was filled with laughter, the atmosphere became light and for a while, none of them had any worry.

—————

“It's done!!”, Elle happily jumped up and down when Peach took out the cake, it had been their third attempt and the second one burned, too high of a heat.

Now they perfected it, they managed to bake the perfect cake! All that's left is for them to design it, which they need to do in…1 hour, fuck.

“Oi, we don't have enough time to design it now, we still need to wash up and change to our respective clothes”, Peach sighed, already calling their chef.

Elle pouted as she wants to be the one to decorate the cake to her liking but she knows that they'll run out of time if she resists so instead she firmly gave instructions, making sure everything will be set.

“Don't forget the topper okay? I specifically ordered that for dad so if you forget about it, I'll tell them to fire you”, she threatened the chef who bowed shakingly.

She left the room and followed Peach out when she heard her uncle,

“Rome just finished his last meeting, we don't have much time, everyone prepare!”, he shouted.

Elle ran to her room and immediately pulled out the carefully laid outfits for her parents. She had planned the theme with her uncle Peach, he was reluctant but agreed to it.

The only people who don't know about the dress code are her dad and papa…who's still locked in the office.

She quickly went to him and knocked on the door fast, prompting her papa to open it.

“Yes sweetie?”, he asked when he opened the door.

“Papa, uncle Kian said dad is already on his way, we should get ready now!!!”, she hurried him.

Mok chuckled and ruffled her hair, “Calm down my angel, there's traffic and your dad is 40 minutes away, he won't be here fast”, he reassured her.

But Elle pouted at him and huffed, crossing her arms before walking away.

Mok laughed again and followed her, “Okay okay, papa will change now”, he caved and went to walk to their room.

“Wait!”, Elle shouted, making him stop.

He turned to see her grinning from ear to ear, she ran to her room and shouted for him to wait.

Mok stood there, waiting for whatever his daughter was getting when she went out holding a suit and a small pouch of accessories.

He froze, staring wide eyed at the clothes, horror struck him the more she stared at it.

“Booger…what is this?”, he asked cautiously.

Elle smiled widely and raised it more, showing off.

“Your suit! You and dad will match later! I picked it out myself and had uncle Peach help me style it, it's really—”

“It's pink.”, Mok cut.

She stopped for a while and looked at him, his face serious and dark, like the suit itself offended him

“Yes…that's what I chose…”, she answered, now feeling anxious for how he's looking.

Mok sighed and ran his hand through his hair, he turned and Elle saw him try to get his composure.

“Do you not like it papa?”, she asked quietly , now hiding the suit behind her.

She's now feeling conscious and guilty as she never really talked to her papa about the clothes, and now he might hate them.

“No…”, Mok answered but he pulled it from her hands, “But since my muffin chose it, I should wear it”, he finished.

Elle looked at him and saw he's now smiling a bit, she lit up and smiled back.

She hugged her papa and grinned, with her cheek pressed to his chest she said, “I'll fix the accessories after, just change okay papa?!”, she excitedly shouted.

Mok chuckled and agreed, he turned and told her to also change while he retreated to his room, leaving his happy daughter behind.

—————

“Fuck!”, Rome angrily shouted when he reached the car.

He's been out all day, meeting clients and shareholders, silencing people and negotiations.

It's only until 6 that he finally finished everything, the day is already done and he hasn't seen his babies yet.

Annoyance surged through him as he stared out the window, he doesn't understand why his father chose today of all days to send him to these meetings.

He had a plan to eat breakfast with his lover and daughter, to take them both out for the day and end the night with him and Mok making love.

But now he's tired, he's annoyed and spent and wants to kill everyone.

He received greetings earlier that eased his moods but seeing his daughter add that he should've ate breakfast with them really made his heart ache.

He's trying to be a present father but his own is taking away.

“Sir?”, the driver calls him.

His eyes snapped open and stared at the guy in annoyance, “What? If it's another meeting again I'll kill you”, he warned.

The other gulped and looked straight ahead, “No sir but it's Khun Theerakit, he said you need to fetch something from his office before heading home”, the scared driver said.

Rome started feeling angry again, as he was about to explode his phone buzzed.

He irritatedly took and opened it, only to see Mok's message.

From: My love

Your daughter is very excited for dinner, come home soon.

His fingers hovered through the keyboard, trying to type out an excuse, telling him that he'd be late but he couldn't.

Defeated, he leaned back and just answered okay. He then looked at his driver and with a cold voice said, “Head straight home, I don't care about any document, I'll handle Phi Kian myself.”

The driver started stuttering, trying to reason with him but one look made him shut up.

The car finally moved and there Rome sighed, he's finally gonna be able to breathe properly.

—————

“Is daddy here yet?”, Elle asked for the nth time.

She's wearing her long pink dress with ruffled sleeves and square neck, the design being of small white daisies, contrasting her pink.

She's also wearing white 4 inch heels with a pink bow at the front, with her accessories being pearl earrings and pearl necklace with a heart in the middle.

Mok looked at her and stopped himself from ruffling her perfectly styled hair and peeked at his phone, “Rome is already outside the villa! The driver just texted!”, he announced.

Everyone scattered, trying to find a hiding place, even the helpers and butlers didn't escape from Elle's wants and made them hide by the bushes.

Mok was pushed to the side of the backstairs, told by his daughter to hide there.

“That way daddy will see you first!”, she reasoned before running to hide with Plub.

He shook his head and crouched down, he looked around and surprisingly, everyone hid very well aside from his daughter who kept peeking from under the table and giggling.

She looked at her papa and waved before hiding again, Mok just let her as she's very excited for their surprise.

After a while of silence, they finally heard Rome's irritated voice, he's looking for them and is taking it out on his driver who led him to the back garden.

“I don't understand, where's everyone? My Mok? My daughter? Where's mom? Honestly, why are you taking me he—”

“SURPRISEEEE!!”, everyone shouted as they reached the stairs.

Mok stood in the middle of it, his hands open wide and there's a warm smile on his face, behind him was Elle sandwiched between Thee and Peach holding her gift.

“What…is happening?”, Rome asked in disbelief.

“Daddy happy birthday!!”, Elle shouted from behind before running towards them.

She nudged her papa towards Rome and giggled.

When Rome finally blinked, he smiled and walked towards Mok to kiss him, which earned a groan from everyone aside from Elle who cheered.

“YEAHHH MORE MORE”, she keeps cheering.

Mok pulled away from the kiss and glared at her, he then pulled Rome towards everyone and gestured.

“This,” he pointed at everything, “is all planned by your daughter, she's the mastermind”, he said.

Rome looked at Elle who was smiling so wide it looked like it hurt.

He walked to her and hugged her, a smile on his face and his voice soft when he spoke, “Thank you so much my sweetheart, you don't know how much this means to daddy”, he whispered.

Elle hugged him back and patted his back, “Everyone helped me dad, I didn't do it myself”, she murmured.

But Thee spoke from beside her, “Come on, we were just the workers, you're our boss”, which earned everyone's laugh.

Rome pulled from the hug and kissed her head before doing the same to his mother, who kissed him back.

“Happy birthday my son”

“Thank you mom”

Plub cleared her throat and asked, “Should we bring out the cake now?”

Peach nodded and went in with her while Elle shrieked in excitement.

“Ah dad! Change clothes first, it's on your bed! Papa will help you”, she said.

Rome looked at his suit then back at their clothes, that's when he realized that everyone was wearing pink including his Mok.

“What—whats the theme?”, he teasefully asked.

Thee proudly showed his half white half pink suit, “Guess brother”, he opened his arms and gestured to his clothes.

Rome laughed and looked at his daughter who's stifling a laugh, “Someone had fun organizing my party”, he teased.

Elle nodded and looked away.

Rome pinched her nose and walked to their room, with Mok sighing behind him.

“If you don't like the color, you can just wear a white one, your daughter prepared two suits”, he said when they reached the room.

But Rome picked up his outfit and snickered, “I love it Mok, your daughter has taste”, he answered.

Mok froze and finally smiled, “She'll be happy that you like it”, he whispered before helping Rome out of his suit.

His lover stared at him with fond eyes, “And I'm happy that I get to celebrate my birthday with my loves”, he whispered back before kissing Mok again.

Their mouths danced with each other as the suit slowly came off, leaving Rome's chest naked.

He tried to deepen the kiss but Mok stopped him, “We have a party to attend, and after that I'm all yours okay?”, he coaxed Rome who pouted.

God, like father, like daughter.

“Fine, help me change then.”

—————

“Okay okay here's the birthday boy!”, Rome shouted as he descended from the stairs.

Everyone stared in awe as they looked at the two's outfits, Elle however was delighted that her vision worked.

Mok's suit was full pink with white collar and cuffs, his left side full of daisies in a half heart shape.

The same for Rome, except his is white roses with a gold touch and on the right side.

“Wow, very couple-ly like”, Peach exclaimed.

Plub took a picture of the two and pointed in awe as they complimented each other greatly.

“Time for the cake!”, Nathalada shouted from behind, in her hands was the cake that Elle herself had made with Peach.

She suddenly felt insecure and wanted to hide away but Mok pulled her with him and Rome, sandwiched between her parents, she couldn't do anything but smile.

Rome looked at the 3 tier cake and the designs of each one.

At the bottom was a small topper replica of the mansion and the name Arseni, the middle has his parents, Thee, Peach, Elle and his cars—which made him chuckle and at the top, there's Mok and him.

Standing side by side and holding hands while smiling brightly at each other.

Rome stared there for a bit and then slowly took out Elle's topper, which confused everyone.

He put in beside him and Mok and said, “You sweetheart, is part of my top priorities, so you get to be with me and papa at the top, not behind, beside or anywhere else okay?”, he assured Elle.

She smiled tearfully and kissed Rome on the cheek, everyone cheered and urged for Rome to blow out the candles.

He closed his eyes for a bit and wished,

Please never take my daughter or Mok away from me.

He blew out the candle and smeared icing on his mom's nose, making her laugh.

The party officially started, everyone went to their respective spaces and danced their hearts out.

Elle and Plub danced cheekily and kept spinning each other, making them dizzy.

Thee and Peach danced with mom to not make her feel lonely without her husband.

Even their helpers were told to have fun, which they did, still being respectful.

And Rome and Mok…they're in the middle, not engaging with the chaos around them, they stayed in their bubble.

Rome's hands were rooted to Mok's waist while the others were on his neck.

They smiled sweetly at each other and slowly leaned for a kiss.

Their mouths meet in a soft, unhurried way, the kiss slow and intimate in a way.

Their tongues playing with each other and laughing when their teeth clashed.

They only pulled away when Elle shrieked, they looked and saw her holding a firework.

“Let's light this up for daddy!”, she shouted and handed it to Thee who did what she asked.

They all looked up as the fireworks spread and it was so peaceful, so beautiful, nothing else could ruin their moment.

Thee helped Elle light more while Peach stayed beside them, Plub and mom were holding each other and gushing about the lights.

It's relaxing, it's perfect, it's the family he'd always longed for.

—————

After a couple hours more of dancing, singing and playing, they finally decided to have a late dinner.

The table was full of delicious and Rome's favorites, he smiled when he saw the stew he always ate.

“Someone wants to pamper me today”, he teased.

Elle smiled and proudly stated, “Papa and I helped with food!”

Rome smiled at her and hugged her tight, “Thank you my darling, today has been rough but you made it better.”

His kid hugged back and sighed happily, “I'm so glad you like it daddy.”

“Of course, it's perfect.”

They pulled away when everyone finally came to the dining room, Mok kissed them both and sat them down while the helpers served them.

They all talked and laughed happily, memories flooding in, teasings coming through.

Elle sat between Rome and Thee who keeps filling her plate up while Mok refills her drink.

They're happy, contented and full of love.

Plub even managed to joke with Rome about his scary aura decreasing with his suit, the mafia proudly showing it off.

Peach handing Rome a failed tart that he and Elle made, and everyone laughing when he made a face with how salty it is.

“I mistook salt for sugar!”, Elle defended.

Mok also took a bite and stuck his tongue out, making Elle huff.

The two soothed her and finally, they took out the real desserts, his cake in the middle.

“Nobody takes the top tier, that's mine and mine only, I'll stab whoever takes it”, he warned when his brother tried to slice there.

They all agreed and started eating what Elle and Peach made happily.

Rome occasionally spoon fed his lover and daughter, making them look like the perfect family.

—————

Everyone spread out and went to their rooms after dinner, it was already late and they're all tired from the night.

Rome sat on the edge of their bed waiting for Mok.

When the other came out of the bathroom, he smiled and hugged his waist, burying his face on his abs.

He inhaled Mok's scent and sighed softly.

“Happy?,” Mok asked.

“Very”, he looked up at his lover, “You make me so happy”, he continued.

Mok smiled and cupped his face, leaning down and catching his lips.

“I hope we get to do this every year”, Rome whispered when they pulled apart.

“We will”, Mok whispered, “I'll make sure that we will, with our daughter”, he promised.

Rome nodded and kissed him again, getting ready to take him apart when,

“PAPA DADDY, LET ME SLEEP BESIDE YOU!”

Rome groaned and Mok laughed, tapping his cheeks twice before opening the door to the grinning Elle.

She's holding her sea lion and hello kitty plushie and ran to the bed, she jumped and sighed happily.

“Let's be a family and sleep side by side”, she murmured to the bed.

Rome couldn't protest, especially seeing Mok push Elle to lay properly, she also has her own blanket so she rolled to the side with it.

“No no, sleep between me and dad”, Mok said and helped her settle.

Rome watched the two of them with fondness in his eyes and felt his heart leap happily.

“Dad let's sleep!”, Elle called to him.

He smiled and laid beside the two, he tucked Elle under her blanket and squished her with her two big plushies.

Mok kissed her forehead and turned off the light, he also kissed Rome and laid down.

Rome did the same and closed his eyes, his thoughts drifting off.

I'll kill everyone just to keep my family.